firmamentum

Latin

Etymology

From firmō (“strengthen”) +‎ -mentum, from firmus (“firm”). Literally, “that which strengthens or supports”. The meaning of "a strengthening, support, prop", especially in the figurative sense (of an argument etc., τὸ συνέχον (tò sunékhon)) is classical, and frequently occurs in Cicero.

Further details

The cosmological sense is coined in the Vulgate in imitation of LXX στερέωμα (steréoma, “firm or solid structure”), which in turn translates Biblical Hebrew רקיע. Some have viewed this as a mistranslation and the modern New American Standard Bible translates this as "expanse" — based on a modern scientific bias. However, ancient Hebrews — including those who translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint or LXX) — understood this term to refer to solid material. Hence, the LXX στερέωμα (steréōma, “firm or solid structure”). The Hebrew רקיע (raqia), refers to a hard substance that has been hammered out by crafstmen (Exodus 39:3; Isaiah 40:19; compare Job 37:18, Exodus 24:10, Ezek. 1:22). Ancient Hebrews, in line with their Mesopotamian neighbors, understood the "firmament" or "sky" as a dome, over which was a layer of water, under which rotated the sun, moon, and stars (Gen. 1:6-8, 14-15). The Genesis creation account is accommodated to this pre-scientific understanding of the sky as a dome, with a layer of cosmic waters above and the stellar constellations below.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /fir.maːˈmen.tum/, [fɪrmäːˈmɛn̪t̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /fir.maˈmen.tum/, [firmäˈmɛn̪t̪um]

Noun

firmāmentum n (genitive firmāmentī); second declension

1. A strengthening, support, prop, stay.
2. The firmament; the sky fixed above the earth.
   • Vulgate: Genesis 1,7-8

     Et fecit Deus firmamentum divisitque aquas, quae erant sub firmamento, ab his, quae erant super firmamentum. [8] Vocavitque Deus firmamentum Caelum.

     And God made the firmament and divided the waters, that were under the firmament, from those, that were above the firmament. [8] And God called the firmament the sky.

3. The main point or crux (of an argument).

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

	singular	plural
nominative	firmāmentum	firmāmenta
genitive	firmāmentī	firmāmentōrum
dative	firmāmentō	firmāmentīs
accusative	firmāmentum	firmāmenta
ablative	firmāmentō	firmāmentīs
vocative	firmāmentum	firmāmenta

Related terms

• firmāmen
• firmātor
• firmē
• firmitās
• firmiter
• firmitūdō
• firmō
• firmus

Descendants

• → Catalan: firmament
• → Corsican: firmamentu
• → English: firmament
• → French: firmament
• → Friulian: firmament
• → Galician: firmamento
• → German: Firmament
• → Italian: firmamento
• → Occitan: firmament
• → Piedmontese: firmament
• → Portuguese: firmamento
• → Spanish: firmamento

References

• “firmamentum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “firmamentum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• firmamentum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• firmamentum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110627035824/http://biologos.org/uploads/projects/godawa_scholarly_paper_2.pdf
• https://web.archive.org/web/20090305132849/http://faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/Ted_Hildebrandt/OTeSources/01-Genesis/Text/Articles-Books/Seely-Firmament-WTJ.pdf